We Are
by theshadowswhisper
Summary: We could try, you know. What's another broken heart?" Liley femslash
1. Chapter 1

"Look, _Chicken Run _was an artistic interpretation meant for entertainment purposes, not a realistic depiction of the general poultry lifestyle!"

"Miley, chickens have feelings too! All I'm saying is that I'm not the only one who-"

"Oh, so you're worried about the chickens suffering are you? Well in a world where children are starving in Africa-"

"You're missing the point! It's WRONG to let the meat industry brutally murder thousands of innocent chickens just so that we can save a few dollars!"

"You'd rather have low income families starve or become anemic? Some of them depend on those low prices to-"

"Vegetables are cheaper anyways, and vitamin supplements-"

"Are expensive and require a knowledge of the body's needs that low income families can't afford to have. While meat provides naturally those things naturally and the price-"

"SHOULD NOT BE NEGOTIATED IN FAVOR OF ANIMAL CRUELTY!"

"I'd sacrifice a hundred chickens to save-"

"GIRLS! That is enough!" Mrs. Strichlan growls tiredly at us. We glare at each other and sit back down in our seats. Leave it to Lilly to defend the animals during an economic crisis! That girl's got a strange sense of morality. But she's always contrary.

We meet eyes, and she looks sorry, so I know this conflict won't change anything.

The bells rings and the English classroom empties. Mrs. Strichlan goes to slouch down in her desk and take an Aspirin.

I throw my notebook into my sack and sling it over my shoulder. I look up to see Lilly looking guiltily at me from across the room.

She pauses, and then comes up to me with scared downcast eyes.

"Miley?" Her voice is cautious and soft.

"Yeah?"

"M'sorry," she says, scuffing her toe against the ground. How can I stay mad at her? Politics notwithstanding, she's the best person I know. And that face is just irresistible. And who could say no to that voice?

"S'ok, Lil, it was fun while it lasted. You're becoming quite the opponent," I assure her, smiling at her sudden grin, "Walk me home?"

"You know it!" she cheers, linking our arms.

"Miley, what's an oligarchy?" Lilly asks as we do our homework, stretched out on my bedroom floor.

"An Amber and Ashley style government, " I say flatly, adding a number to an equation I'm working on for chemistry. Lilly giggles.

"Can you imagine living in a country they ruled?" I continue, "You'd be executed at once for the pathetic nose job."

"HEY!" yells Lilly indignantly, "my nose is as real as yours!" I pinch hers.

"Beanie Biley!" she says, struggling to free her face from my grasp.

"Silly Lilly," I smile, releasing her. She sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes.

"Hey, watch where you point that thing, 'cause-" Lilly cuts me off, launching herself into my lap and tickling my ribs.

"Smart alec!" She hollers.

"Crazy!" I choke. She tickles me harder. Tears run down my face and my lungs hurt, but I will NOT surrender!

"Give it up, Stewart!" crows Lilly, "You've lost!" For a few more seconds, I lay squirming beneath her merciless, tickling, fingers.

"NEVER!!!!!!!!!" I flip her over and ferociously attack her super ticklish armpits.

"STOP IT, MILEY!" She cries, frantically, "P-PLEASE!"

"Surrender, Truscott, and I'll consider it."

"N-Nev-"

"I've got all day here." Lilly bucks helplessly and then looks at me with defeat in her summer blue eyes.

"I surrender!" she yelps, "NOW GET OFF ME!"

I do, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah, you win," she grumbles. Lilly is super competitive.

"Yep," I say, "But you're cuter."

"Even with the nose job?" she teases.

"Nobody's perfect," I reply idly picking up my homework.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm bored," Lilly whines. It's Friday, and we're having our usual _House_ fest at my house. With Hannah's crazy life, we never get time during the week to watch our favorite doctor shooting off witticisms and popping Vicodin, so my daddy records all the episodes weekly for us and we watch them on Fridays.

"Shuttup," I tell Lilly, tossing a piece of popcorn at her.

"Miillleeeyyy," she says, "I've seen this one already, I'm BORED!" This time I ignore her, and watch as Dr. House and Wilson argue about a whether a patient needs her legs and arms cut off. Flesh eating bacterial infection. Yikes.

Lilly stands up, looks at me expectantly, and stomps her foot.

"Fine!" she says in shrill voice, "I'll just go play with Beary! I bet he's always wanted to go swimming in the toilet!" She wouldn't!

"You wouldn't dare," I scowl, rising from the couch.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" dares Lilly as she begins to run towards the stairs, giggling. I pounce on her legs and grip tightly. My surprise attack catches her off balance and she stumbles, trying to regain footing. She then begins tug free but loses her balance completely, slipping and falling in a pile of flailing limbs on top of me.

"OW!" I yell, pinned beneath her. She pulls her weight off to one side and untangles herself. I wince as my head collides with the hard wooden floor with a dull _crack_.

"Miley!" Lilly cries frantically, kneeling beside me. Her lip quivers with remorse.

"I'm okay," I say, attempting to stand. She catches my shoulder and puts an arm around my waist, babbling incoherently.

"It'sallmyfaultMileyI'msosorryyouknowI'dneverhurtBearyifyoudon'twanttobemyfriendanymoreItotally-"

"Lilly!" I say, my head spinning, "It's fine, you didn't mean it. S'my own stupid fault." I hobble to the couch, Lilly supporting my weight. She helps me settle comfortably, stroking my hand and gazing tentatively at my expression. My head throbs dully, and I feel strangely light…

"Oh," gasps Lilly, suddenly, "look at that bump!" She touches the tender spot on my head lightly. It pulses beneath her fingers.

"It looks like an alien laid eggs in your head!" she exclaims, ogling the goose egg protruding from my skull. She prods it a bit harder, fascinated by the pulsing lump.

"Ouch! Lilly!" I cry indignantly, "Kinda painful, here!" She looks stricken for a moment, and then she's immediately apologetic.

"Right," she mutters, "I'll get you some ice for that." I sigh and roll onto my side. Dr. House yells angrily at Dr. Chase on TV about something or other, and the sound of their voices seems far away. I look about dimly as Lilly returns with a bag of ice and a sweet smile, and I think she's trying to tell me something, but her voice is soft and fuzzy, like she's talking into a pillow. The room suddenly seems darker, and Lilly's face looks smeared. The blood is pounding so loudly in my head, like drums…

"Miley, wake up, Miley! Please? Wake up!" A voice is calling to me but I can barely hear it, it's soft like music, yes I can hear you, Lilly, where are you? Where am I? Why can't you hear me, Lilly?

The rooms swirls around me and suddenly it's dark, and I can still hear Lilly, but she seems so far…

My eyes drift close and it's quiet in my last moments of consciousness.

"Miles?" The twangy, familiar voice is much closer now, and as I open my eyes, light floods in. A strange dark shape hovers above me, and I can hear indistinct mutterings around me.

"Wh-Where-"

"Miley!" the Voice exclaims, and I recognize it now.

"Daddy?" I mumble, disoriented, "Why-Where-I mean, Wha-"

"Shhh," he soothes in he soft voice, "S'alright now darlin', don't you worry now…" My mouth opens to protest but his voice is like a lullaby. I feel as if I'm being pulled underneath the ocean, and everything is a familiar shade of blue as I slip away again….

"Miley?"

"Mmmm?" I grumble as sunlight filters in and makes the insides of my eyelids turn red. I open my sleepy eyes, dragging the lids upward.

"Oh Miley!" Suddenly I can't breathe because I'm being squeezed by a boa constrictor. A boa constrictor that smells like strawberries and honey. A boa constrictor with a soft blonde braid. A boa constrictor with a voice exactly like-

"Lilly?" I say blearily, and she squeezes me tighter.

"You're alive!" she says. I snicker. That's one way to put it.

"Yeah," I gasp as she releases me, holding me by the shoulders and examining my face.

"You scared me," she says, concern etching her features and fear in her electric blue eyes.

"Sorry, I-" And she's squeezing me again.

"I love you, Miles," she says into my blouse. I have to smile at that.

"You too, Lil." I wrap my arms arm her back and lean my cheek against her hair. I feel so warm, so safe. Lily gives good hugs.

"They didn't chop her arms off," says Lilly suddenly pulling away. Her face looks serious.

"Huh?"

"Nope, Dr. Chase found out that it wasn't a bacterial infection, she was just allergic to light. So they didn't have to amputate."

"Oh. _House_."

"Yeah."

"Lilly?"

"Miley?"

"I've already seen that one."

"Oh," says Lilly. We pause.

"Miley?"

"Yeah, Lilly?"

"I'm bored."

"That's nice, Lilly."


	3. Chapter 3

Lilly is eating my chocolate.

She's sprawled in my bed, wearing my pajamas, listening to my Ipod, eating my stash of Belgian truffles. When I point this out to her, she shrugs.

"I'm hungry," she says. I sit on the bed with her.

"Okay," I tell her, "but why are you _here_?"

"I always come here after school."

"No, as in, here in my bed, wearing my pajamas, eating my chocolate?" Lilly sighs as she pops another truffle in her mouth.

"I hate Oliver," she says.

"What'd the doughnut do to you this time?"

"Miley," she says looking at me with ultra-serious eyes, "I'm so fat."

"Why're you so random?"

"I'm serious, I'm practically a cow! Look at me!" There are tears in her eyes.

"Lilly," I say, taking her hand, "Did Oliver say something to make you feel fat?"

"No," she answers. I wait for her to explain. But instead, her mouth scrunches into a pout and she asks, "Why does he like that stupid old Joanie, anyways?"

"I dunno," I say, "What's wrong with you anyways? You're crazier than usual today." By now she's finishing off the chocolate and staring into the empty paper can forlornly.

"I just don't get it!" she exclaims suddenly, jumping up and pacing, "Oliver wants Joanie. What's so great about her? She's all stinky and mean and-"

"Lilly, I thought you and Joanie were all okay now…?"

"I mean, I'VE known Oliver all my life, and he NEVER even notices me, and then SHE comes in and-"

"Lilly, are you jealous of Joanie?" I'm dumbfounded. Lilly couldn't be interested in Oliver, could she? He's just so-

"No!" she says, "just, is she really that much prettier than me? Oliver suddenly likes her and can't stop talking about how pretty she is, and he's known me forever, and never thought I was pretty or anything, and I just…is it because I'm getting fat?" I stare for a long moment and then start laughing.

"You are SO competitive with her, Lilly!" I say, clutching my sides, "Suddenly you care what OLIVER thinks?" Lilly stares at me carefully, unsure if I'm making fun of her just yet.

"Lilly," I tell her seriously, "Oliver's Oliver. He dates girls for a week and then forgets 'em. You're his best friend. He's so dense he's probably FORGOTTEN you're a girl by now, you know how he is. But you mean more to him than any of them. You're not just the latest hottie ready to be sampled and trampled. You're a person to him, Lilly. He just doesn't see you the way he sees Joanie, or Becca, or Kelly Clarkson. When he sees you, he doesn't just see GIRL, he sees LILLY. His best friend. That's all. It's not like if you weren't his best friend he wouldn't totally be all, 'Hey Lilly, wanna catch my wave?'" I imitate his pick up voice and waggle my eyebrows. Lilly laughs and plunks down on the ground.

"Yeah," she says, "I guess you're right." I take a seat next to her on the floor, and put an arm around her.

"Always," I say smugly, and then she looks at me.

"Miley?" she asks softly, "If I ask you something will you answer me honestly?" "'Course I will," I tell her.

"Do you really think I'm fat? I mean, honestly? Don't try to lie just so you don't-"

"Lilly!" I exclaim, "You're the farthest thing from fat! You're perfect! You're smokin' ,okay? You've got a perfect flat stomach and curves like a hourglass! You're not just hott, you're bangin' and everyone knows it. So you better never ask that question again, 'cause if you're fat, then heaven help the rest of us! Understood?" I give her my strictest glare.

She nods at me.

"Good." I say, watching her. She frowns then and slowly pulls off the pajamas she's wearing. She goes up to my mirror and examines her body. She turns and lets her eyes trace down the soft lines of her waist and down her legs.

"See?" I snicker. Her are pink and silky looking, with a matching pink bra. I wonder if she stole them from me.

"Guess you're right," she says at the end of her scrutiny, turning to face me, "I'm perfect."

"C'mon, Miss Self Esteem," I mutter, throwing her jeans and tee-shirt at her from the floor, "Let's go get something to eat. I'm tired of you're drama!" Lilly looks at her clothes in a heap at her feet. She then steps over them runs over to me and grabs me in a fierce hug. She's right though, she is perfect. Her body, her heart, her mind. All perfect. How can she even doubt it, I wonder, remembering her body, twisting in the mirror as she peeked over her own shape. Her beauty is so obvious to me. I don't know how she doesn't see it.

"Miley, you are my best friend," she says with a lot of feeling. I giggle and hug her back.

"Mood swings much?" I ask her, running a hand over her soft hair, "yea, I guess you're mine too." She keeps holding me until I clear me throat.

"Put some clothes on," I say, moving towards the door, "Let's get out of here."


End file.
